Ribbon of Steele: A Romance of Suspense Page 9

  He tried to remain coy. "So how was your flight? I came by seaplane for the final leg, and man was that pilot a cowboy," he said chuckling and taking a sip of his drink. After seeing the expressionless look on her face, he changed tactics.

  "Mr. Adams, could you excuse us for a moment?", Sam asked. Adams, clearly sensing the tension, was happy to be dismissed and disappeared into the crowd behind them. "Lizzie, I'm sorry." She didn't let him continue and holding up her hand, nodded towards the doorway. They walked out of the museum and past the line of guests.

  "Lizzie, Mr. Adams just offered us....," Sam started.

  She cut him off immediately. "Listen here, you cheating prick. I don't give a shit what you want or what you are offering. Just shut your mouth and listen." Lizzie hadn't planned on what she would say, and her voice surprised her as much as it had Sam. He looked at her stunned as she continued.

  "There will never be a time or a place where you and I are ever connected again, so don't you dare insult me by telling anyone we are engaged or even working together. Do you hear me? It took two years for me to realize how much you treated me like shit and believe me, I know I deserve way better than you."

  Sam rolled his eyes but Lizzie continued undaunted.

  "I deserve someone who listens to me, challenges me, treats me with respect and gives me confidence rather than taking it away." Her voice trailed at the end as she realized that she was providing Sam with a perfect description of Mackenzie. Sam had crossed his arms and was looking away from her.

  "You know what asshole? Have a nice life," she said, walking away from him and towards the water.

  When she felt it was safe, she looked back. He had walked back to the museum and was shaking hands and laughing with a guest in line.

  Goodbye Sam

  She thought about going to the hotel, calling Nicole or getting drunk at a bar, but instead walked towards the two docks at the end of the path. She had an odd feeling of confidence mixed with sadness. Stepping onto the dock, she smiled and then burst into tears.

  27

  Lizzie sat at the end of one of the long docks and stirred her feet in the cool water. It swirled into tiny pools around her feet as she blindly gazed at the lake before her. The water numbed her feet, but she didn't care. She was already cold. She watched a seaplane taxi up to the other dock and a few passengers jump out, happy to have reached their destination. She turned her attention back towards the water and caught her reflection in the black lake. She pushed her hair behind her ears and rubbed her puffy eyes with her fingertips as another seaplane taxied toward the neighboring dock. The sun was starting to set and soon and she would be alone.

  She had believed that her confidence had been coming from Nicole in the last few months, but her conversation with Sam had proven it was Mackenzie who had brought about the true change in her.

  She started to feel awful for how she left him, and hoped she hadn't hurt him. In her heart, she knew otherwise. As she swirled the water with her feet, she wondered if she would just be a footnote in Mackenzie's life. Would she be someone he ran into at a party and tried to avoid? The thought made her sad and she suddenly wanted to call him, but didn't know what to say. The only think she could think to say wasI love you. She felt a pain in her chest, and closed her eyes knowing only now how much that statement rung true.

  A tear fell from her cheek as she raised her head. As she watched another seaplane taxi, she saw it contained a single passenger. In the rear cabin sat a man with auburn hair and a face she knew well. She stared at the plane perplexed as it nosed towards the dock and killed its engine. The door to the rear cabin flew open, and Mackenzie bolted from the plane. His face was stern and focused, and he looked as though he was about to take off running down the dock in a in a full sprint. Lizzie realized she was holding her breath and couldn't move as she stared at him. In his hand, he held the shawl she had left at the restaurant. His eyes moved in her direction and he immediately stopped.

  Their eyes locked for several moments and finally, his stern face transformed into an exhausted calm.

  He was here.